Category: Shop Talk

Titanium Sewing Machine Needles

Posted on by — 2 Comments

The Titanium Sewing Machine Needle is the best needle you can use in your sewing machine. It doesn’t matter what machine you use, if your needle is old and dull your stitches will suffer.

Why a Titanium Needle?

A regular needle, chrome or nickel plating over steel, is rated to last 5-8 sewing hours. A Titanium needle may last 20 to 40 sewing hours. Of course the type and thickness of fabrics will vary the amount of sewing hours.

a package of Organ Brand Needles
A package of Organ Needles

What makes the Titanium Sewing Machine Needle So Great?

A Titanium Needle has a very very thin coating of Titanium Nitride applied during manufacturing that makes a gold color. By nature Titanium is heat resistant and almost non-stick. The applied Titanium helps the needle point hold its shape and dimensions for a much longer time.

A photo of the gold Titanium Needle
Gold Color of the Titanium Needle (Embroidery 80/12 shown)

Which Needle should I use?

The Titanium Top Stitch needle is a great daily sewing machine needle for piecing and general sewing. It is also capable of Free-Motion Thread Work and Free-Motion Quilting. The Top Stitch needle has a slightly deeper groove for the thread to ride in while moving through the fabric. They eye is also larger reducing the friction when the thread passes through the eye of the needle. Did you know the thread may pass through the needles eye more than 33 times before becoming a stitch? It all depends of course on the stitch length.

A Titanium Embroidery Needle is another great needle especially if you like to use some of the thicker or more finicky threads. The Titanium Embroidery needle has a large groove and a much larger and rounder eye than the Titanium Top Stitch needle to help reduce the friction on the thread even more. 

How do I choose the Needle size?

When a  choosing a Titanium Sewing Machine Needle match the needle to the thread, not the needle to the fabric. The needle size tells you how big the shaft is, the bigger the number the bigger the needle. A fine thread 60 weight you would use a smaller needle like a 75/11 ; a thicker thread like a 40 weight a larger needle such as a 90/14.

needle in a sewing machine
The gold Titanium Needle. makes threading a little easier with a larger eye

I Have a Notion carries the Titanium Top Stitch Needles in the 80/12, 90/14 and 100/16 sizes as well as the Titanium Embroidery Needles in the 80/12 and 90/14 sizes.

I Have A Notion is reviving the “Needle Exchange” Program!!!

How does the “Needle Exchange Program” work?

Do you want to try a Titanium Needle?  Send the current needle in your  sewing machine to I Have a Notion, (the mailing address is on the Policy Page, left hand column). Pin the needle to a short note which includes what you know or remember about the needle (type and size). Also please share a bit about you and a little about your sewing style, the projects, thread and fabrics you usually sew with; and include self addressed stamped envelope to I Have a Notion.

What is your favorite needle and tell us why you like it…

Until Later-Beth

A Quilting Dilemma

Posted on by

Are you like me, once you have finished a quilt top you are faced with the decision of “how am I going to quilt it”? While looking for ideas you discover a sea of choices? Itching to start but not certain where to start? Which quilting design, motif, style or pattern will look good where?

It doesn’t matter what type of quilter you are, a domestic machine quilter or a longarmer (standing or sit down). Getting started creating a quilting design map is probably the most difficult part of the process for many of us.

Avoiding the Rabbit Hole

When I need quilting inspiration or direction my ‘go to’ is my personal library of BOOKS.

I have these at my finger tips. Having a personal  library keeps me on the path of quilting and not making a trip to the local library or waiting for a guild meeting or bother a friend to borrow a book from.

The ability to bookmark the pages of designs I like, those for future projects, highlight patterns that work really well and reference the pages again when I need a refresher.

The opportunity to take two of the designs, (or more), and combine into one design or pull out just a part of a design for my project….

Best of all I don’t find myself down the rabbit hole of Pinterest looking for ideas or inspiration.

Solution

The solution I  recently found is a trio of books that fit all of the above and are inexpensive enough to have the whole series. These books are filled with designs from many designers, some of the designs we’ve seen and others are fresh and new. Lets start with what I would consider the first book of the series, although you could start with any of the books, because they are a la cart books and don’t require a “start”.

 Free-Motion Quilting Inspiration

The books are published by C&T Publishing. “Free-Motion designs for Allover Patterns” is where we are starting, but there are two more titles just as promising “Free-Motion Block Designs” and “Free-Motion Designs for Borders, Triangles and Cornerstones“. All the books are all 158 pages, but have a varying number of designs. The Allover Patterns has more than 75 designs by 8 well known quilters! They are all bound with a spiral for flat easy reference with full page spreads of each design. The best thing about the books is you get a great sampling of several Free-Motion Quilters.

the Cover of the Allover Patterns book.
The cover of free-motions designs for Allover Patterns.

Have I intrigued you? Of course you will find them right here at I Have A Notion!

More Later- Beth

Quilt Show

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Last weekend the local quilt guild had our annual quilt show “Heartland of Kentucky Quilt Show. We set up on Thursday for a Friday and Saturday Show. This was where I spent all 3 days and I shared a REVOLUTIONARY new ironing product! 

The Booth

ihaveanotion.com had a booth at the show, I think I am going to need some more quilts for the tables! I had a blast. I love meeting quilters and helping them find just the right tool to help them make the most of their sewing, cutting, ironing  or creative time. It is precious.

A ‘Revolutionary’ sewing room aid

I think I have found one of those REVOLUTIONARY tools for the sewing space or household. I had heard of these “spray misting bottles” a few months ago and before there was one for the sewing industry! They were either black or white and only available at beauty supply stores for the professionals and retailing at a much higher price.  I started using one… immediately and I LOVE it. It was featured prominently to show this special spray bottle off at the quilt show. I set up an ironing station with a fabric that would show moisture so I could share… the REVOLUTIONARY benefits… and the poor quality spray we were using from ordinary spray bottles. So what makes them so special?

The Benefits

1 The first benefit is the super fine mist that the bottle produces. No large or super large drops are deposited on the fabrics that then have to be dried instead of just pressing out the wrinkles.

2 Benefit 2 is there a pump built in, so one pull on the trigger delivers a continuous spray, (about  1.5 cc’s) and will spray continuously with multiple pulls. Also if you only want a little… you can spot shot, with short pulls. No hand fatigue…. from pulling on a trigger from a dime store spray bottle that can’t decide if it spits or sprays.

3 And third is the ability to spray 360 including upside down!!!  It will spray right down to the last drop of moisture in the bottle. How helpful would that be? 

Its not a Plain Jane

Fill it with water or your favorite pressing aid. I use a homemade ‘pressing aid’ and I include the recipe with your order and it comes in 3 different designs.

Iron Maiden
Color Therapy
Quilt Shops

Have I intrigued you with the “newest tool” to make your time creating more productive? Check it out over here! What do you use at your ironing board?

More Later! Beth